Are you seriously blaming Bettman for the size of goalie equipment? Wow. I guess global warming and 9-11 were his fault too.

Ive said it on here many times. I dont like the guy but the lockout isnt all his fault and neither is the size of the goalie equipment.

Watch hockey from the 80s.What changed hockey from a game where people scored 60, 70 and 80 goals a year to a game where people scored 30 and 40 and 50 goals.

Take a look at Sergei Fedorov's career stats. Look at Yzerman's stats.Look at stats from that era and notice the way they suddenly plummet around 1995 after Bettman instituted the 3/4 rule.

I think it's well known that the NHL allowed the game to change in ways that promoted parity. Immediately following expansion, they had the trap and clutch and grab nullify skilled teams, for example. It's also no secret that the NHL has allowed goalies to user bigger and bigger equipment. And that goalie equipment manufacturers aren't just marketing equipment as safe... they market it as large-- to help goalies save more pucks.

I like the "out of the box" thinking but the owners wouldnt go for it. They would still be paying the full contract and would end up paying even more up front. Think about the deals that Minnesota just signed and imagine the amount of the buyout. If I'm understanding you correctly.

The Wild's GM signed those essentially knowing that his owner was going to back a lockout and have their contracts groomed in the process of a new CBA. If you don't want to pay the guys big $$$ then don't sign 2 guys for 13 years a piece at 7.5 mil average cap hit. That's why Kovi and Ovechkin don't want to come back. They signed for their whole career with their clubs and now will have to give probably 2 mil back per year.....geez, that's fair lol.

Max player contract of 1 million dollars per year. Immediate reduction of ticket prices to $35-$50 maximum.Corporate sponsorship is limited.Ticket prices are frozen for the duration of the CBA.No max contract length restrictions.

That way, noone can complain that the owners are making too much, and the contracts can't get out of hand. The players get to get rich, but not obscenely so. Win/win.

Pretty sure the max player salary in the CFL is $1 mil....and that's a bushleague for the NFL. NHL has a much larger fanbase and can afford to pay their players more than that. I understand wanting ticket prices to go down, but if people want it to be a 50/50 deal comparable to the other major sports, then NHL players will all go to Europe if your idea even got a sniff.

Watch hockey from the 80s.What changed hockey from a game where people scored 60, 70 and 80 goals a year to a game where people scored 30 and 40 and 50 goals.

Take a look at Sergei Fedorov's career stats. Look at Yzerman's stats.Look at stats from that era and notice the way they suddenly plummet around 1995 after Bettman instituted the 3/4 rule.

I think it's well known that the NHL allowed the game to change in ways that promoted parity. Immediately following expansion, they had the trap and clutch and grab nullify skilled teams, for example. It's also no secret that the NHL has allowed goalies to user bigger and bigger equipment. And that goalie equipment manufacturers aren't just marketing equipment as safe... they market it as large-- to help goalies save more pucks.

i'm not denying that equipment has gotten bigger, but it had been getting bigger before Bettman arrived and dont forget that he was commish when they reduced the size a couple of years ago. Blaming Bettman for this is perhaps the silliest thing Ive read on here in a long time. I get that people hate him, I dont like him either, but cmon.

I really think they have to get rid of the Floor, bring in a Luxury Tax, and have proper Revenue Sharing, or we'll have another Lockout in 6 years. Baseball has it right. Let your best markets spend and share revenue, or else they have to just sit on their profits, while teams like Phoenix, Nashville, Florida, and Columbus drag everyone down with them. Big markets should be leading the way, not the bankrupt ones.

The players aren't to blame for these bankrupt teams, it's Bettman's inability to split the pot better, and allow the small markets to spend what they bring in and collect in Revenue Sharing, instead of spending based on what the Maple Leafs bring in.

This is all just patch work, which will lead to more problems in 6 years. Since Bettman doesn't seem to get it, I guess 10 teams need to go under, and cease to exist, before proper changes are made.

I really think they have to get rid of the Floor, bring in a Luxury Tax, and have proper Revenue Sharing, or we'll have another Lockout in 6 years. Baseball has it right. Let your best markets spend and share revenue, or else they have to just sit on their profits, while teams like Phoenix, Nashville, Florida, and Columbus drag everyone down with them. Big markets should be leading the way, not the bankrupt ones.

The players aren't to blame for these bankrupt teams, it's Bettman's inability to split the pot better, and allow the small markets to spend what they bring in and collect in Revenue Sharing, instead of spending based on what the Maple Leafs bring in.

This is all just patch work, which will lead to more problems in 6 years. Since Bettman doesn't seem to get it, I guess 10 teams need to go under, and cease to exist, before proper changes are made.

Id be ok with dropping to 24 teams and dropping a round of the playoffs. Make it 3 rounds and play til the end of May instead of into June.

I really think they have to get rid of the Floor, bring in a Luxury Tax, and have proper Revenue Sharing, or we'll have another Lockout in 6 years. Baseball has it right. Let your best markets spend and share revenue, or else they have to just sit on their profits, while teams like Phoenix, Nashville, Florida, and Columbus drag everyone down with them. Big markets should be leading the way, not the bankrupt ones.

The players aren't to blame for these bankrupt teams, it's Bettman's inability to split the pot better, and allow the small markets to spend what they bring in and collect in Revenue Sharing, instead of spending based on what the Maple Leafs bring in.

This is all just patch work, which will lead to more problems in 6 years. Since Bettman doesn't seem to get it, I guess 10 teams need to go under, and cease to exist, before proper changes are made.

I'd honestly consider giving the owners a greater slice of the pie - just to make them feel good, and as though they got what they want...As we all know there'll be several teams going over the cap every year, and it'll be these teams fighting for the Cup.

I'd honestly consider giving the owners a greater slice of the pie - just to make them feel good, and as though they got what they want...As we all know there'll be several teams going over the cap every year, and it'll be these teams fighting for the Cup.

4 step plan proposal:
1. Fire Bettman
2. Hire a real commissioner who has the balls to stand up to the owners and do what's best for the league
3. Change the bulls*** BOG ruling back to a majority vote system by the owners instead of only needing 8 teams to pass, and disallow league owned teams from voting
4. Let the rest sort itself out once the cancer is removed

Put this in place and we'll be playing hockey again by mid November...

4 step plan proposal:1. Fire Bettman2. Hire a real commissioner who has the balls to stand up to the owners and do what's best for the league3. Change the bulls*** BOG ruling back to a majority vote system by the owners instead of only needing 8 teams to pass, and disallow league owned teams from voting4. Let the rest sort itself out once the cancer is removed

Put this in place and we'll be playing hockey again by mid November...

Agreed with all points, if all of that happens we could have hockey back within a month I am sure.

4 step plan proposal:1. Fire Bettman2. Hire a real commissioner who has the balls to stand up to the owners and do what's best for the league3. Change the bulls*** BOG ruling back to a majority vote system by the owners instead of only needing 8 teams to pass, and disallow league owned teams from voting4. Let the rest sort itself out once the cancer is removed

Put this in place and we'll be playing hockey again by mid November...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. Keep dreaming. The owners will *never* hire someone who won't do what they say. Anyone else they bring in will be Bettman part 2.

Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe.

I went to a doctor the other day, and all he did was suck blood out of my neck. Never go see Dr. Acula - Mitch Hedberg

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. Keep dreaming. The owners will *never* hire someone who won't do what they say. Anyone else they bring in will be Bettman part 2.

It's not really that simple. There's 30 owners with varying priorities and interests. I think you're underestimating how much politics there are just on the ownership side.

Not to mention the owners had to outvote Bettman back in 1995 in order to make a deal and save the season, so you could say they've already hired someone who doesn't always do what they say. Back then they just had more power to overrule him.